Pages

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Lotte Plus X Cube Gum- Pinneapple Mint

Once again, I have to repeat that Japanese products have the best packaging/product design.

I mean, look at those little cubes and the little 8 bit design on the box, and tell me that isn't the coolest thing!

Each little piece of gum is about half the size of a sugar cube. They are meant to be chewed by the handful. The outer layer of the cube is sweet and slightly crunchy (think of the old-school Cinnaburst gum).

The initial flavor is sweet pineapple. It actually tastes pretty natural; though more like dried pineapple slices than fresh. The flavor is strongest for the first three minutes.

There is also a mint flavor to the gum. I was worried that this was going to be a nasty combination, but it is surprisingly mild and pleasant and it worked quite nicely with the pineapple. Maybe because it's a subtle mint -- more of a menthol warmth that stays long after the actual flavor is gone, rather then a pungent, breath-freshening type mint.

The gum has a soft and non-sticky chew. I preferred just one cube at a time -- but then, I am not a fan of huge wads of gum.

Finally, there was one little extra that came with the gum that left me scratching my head...until I read J-List's product blurb. And that is a little tiny Post-It style pad included in the pack. Since I spend a rather embarrassing amount per year on Posties (as I like to call them) I thought this was pretty neat, but I had no idea why they were there. (Is it customary in Japan to scribble little notes to oneself while chewing gum? No? I didn't think so!) Actually, what the pad is really supposed to be is something to wrap your piece of gum in when you are done chewing it. That's a pretty nice add-on, since the gum itself is unwrapped in the box. Failing that, you could just use them to write notes on.

I loved this gum and will definitely be getting more. Because the label is entirely in Japanese, I have no idea if it is sugar free or how it is sweetened -- if you know, please comment! (I tried to Google, with no luck.)

I bought mine from Kam Man in New York City, but J-List does carry this gum -- along with lots of other Cube flavors and Lotte products, so check them out!